Other Causes of Heel Pain...
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Plantar fasciitis is the cause of more than 90% of heel pain but other causes do exist. They include:
1) tarsal tunnel syndrome: This is analagous to carpal tunnel syndrome in the wrist but occurs in the foot or ankle. It is an entrapment of the main nerve that goes to the bottom of the foot, the posterior tibial nerve. The nerve may become entrapped by scar tissue but also by varicosities and other growths. It can cause heel pain but also numbness and shooting pains on the bottom of the foot.
2) stress fractures of the heel bone: This is relatively uncommon but, unlike plantar fasciitis, this can come on more suddenly. Often (but not always) pain can be recreated by squeezing the heel bone from side to side. More definitive diagnosis is with a bone scan or MRI. A cortisone shot may often make this feel worse.
3) rheumatoid arthritis, Reiter's syndrome, ankylosing spondylitis: These are forms of arthritis that can manifest themselves in the heel bone relatively early in their course. Rheumatoid arthritis usually starts in more than one joint but for some unknown reason, when affecting the heel, often begins in one heel bone at a time.
4) tumors : relatively rare
5) pain in the back of the heel: a whole other subject. Causes can include achilles tendinitis, AICT (achilles insertional calcific tendinitis) which is sometimes called a "spur" in back of the heel.
Last time I looked, Amazon.com had over 100 books on foot pain. Please use the link below to do a search...
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